Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention is a substrate processing method for filling the gaps in the periphery of a multilayer substrate (Ws) with filler, comprising: a first transmission image acquisition step (S2) for acquiring a first transmission image of the periphery (P) of the multilayer substrate (Ws); a filling step (S3) for filling the gaps (G) in the periphery (P) of the multilayer substrate (Ws) after acquiring the first transmission image with filler; a second transmission image acquisition step (S5) for acquiring a second transmission image of the periphery (P) after filling with filler; and a determination step (S6) for comparing the first transmission image and the second transmission image to determine the filling state of the filler.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus that can suppress the occurrence of cracks, defects, and substrate peeling at the ends of the stacked substrate by filling the gaps in the periphery of the stacked substrate with a filler. Background Technology

[0002] In three-dimensional mounting technology that forms multiple substrates such as integrated circuits, fillers are used to prevent defects at the ends of the stacked substrates (stacked substrates). This prevents cracking, damage, and peeling of the substrates at the ends during subsequent transport processes, thinning processes, or end trimming processes.

[0003] Here, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-32581 discloses a substrate processing method as follows: A filler is applied to the gap at the edge of a laminated substrate formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate, and then cured. An infrared imaging device is used to photograph the edge of the cured laminated substrate, and the filling state of the filler in the gap is determined based on the obtained image. According to this prior art document, by adopting such a structure, it is possible to prevent laminated substrates with poor filler filling from being processed in subsequent processes.

[0004] However, even the substrate processing method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-32581 sometimes results in poor filler filling. For example, in the region on the inner side from the edge of the laminated substrate toward the center, gaps may sometimes form due to poor filler filling. In such cases, the substrate processing method in this prior art document has the problem of not being able to accurately determine the filler filling status. Furthermore, this can lead to the neglect of poor filler filling, resulting in the following problems in subsequent processes such as thinning and finishing: cracks, defects, and substrate peeling at the ends of the laminated substrate, and waste of expensive substrates with completed patterning. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention was made in consideration of such problems, and its object is to provide a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus that can determine whether the filling state of the filler filling the gaps in the periphery of the laminated substrate is good, thereby improving the yield.

[0006] To address the aforementioned problem, the substrate processing method of the present invention fills the gaps in the peripheral portion of a stacked substrate comprising multiple substrates with a filler, characterized in that the substrate processing method includes: a first transmission image acquisition step, acquiring a first transmission image of the peripheral portion of the stacked substrate; a filling step, filling the gaps in the peripheral portion of the stacked substrate after acquiring the first transmission image with the filler; a second transmission image acquisition step, acquiring a second transmission image of the peripheral portion after filling with the filler; and a determination step, comparing the first transmission image and the second transmission image to determine the filling state of the filler.

[0007] In the structure, preferably, the first transmission image acquisition step and the second transmission image acquisition step are the following steps: irradiating the periphery of the stacked substrate with light of a wavelength capable of transmitting through the stacked substrate from a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the stacked substrate, receiving the light transmitted through the periphery of the stacked substrate, and obtaining the first transmission image or the second transmission image when viewed from above.

[0008] Preferably, the structure includes a semi-curing step, which semi-cures the filler filling the gaps in the periphery of the laminated substrate after the filling step and before the second transmission image acquisition step.

[0009] Furthermore, in the aforementioned structure, it is preferable that, if the filling state of the filler is determined to be poor in the determination process, the filling process, the semi-curing process, the second transmission image acquisition process, and the determination process are repeated sequentially.

[0010] Furthermore, the structure preferably includes a curing step, in which the filler is cured if the filling state of the filler is determined to be good in the determination step.

[0011] In addition, the structure preferably includes a marking process for marking the laminated substrates that are determined to have poor filling status of the filler in the determination process.

[0012] Furthermore, in order to solve the aforementioned problem, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is used to perform a substrate processing method for the structure described above. The substrate processing apparatus is characterized by comprising: a substrate holding section that holds the stacked substrate; a transmission image acquisition section that acquires a transmission image of the peripheral portion of the stacked substrate; a filling section that fills the gap of the peripheral portion of the stacked substrate with the filler; and a control section, wherein the transmission image acquisition section acquires a first transmission image before the filler is filled into the gap by the filling section and a second transmission image after the filler is filled, and the control section compares the first transmission image and the second transmission image to determine the filling state of the filler.

[0013] In the structure, preferably, the transmissive image acquisition unit includes: an irradiation unit that irradiates light of a wavelength capable of transmitting through the multilayer substrate from a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the multilayer substrate toward the periphery of the multilayer substrate; and an imaging unit that receives the light transmitted through the periphery of the multilayer substrate and captures the first transmissive image or the second transmissive image when viewed from above.

[0014] In addition, the structure preferably includes a curing section that semi-cures or cures the filler filling the gaps in the periphery of the laminated substrate.

[0015] Furthermore, in the aforementioned structure, it is preferable that the control unit marks or labels the laminated substrates whose filler filling status is deemed defective.

[0016] According to the substrate processing method and apparatus of the present invention, a first transmission image of the peripheral portion of a laminated substrate is obtained before filling the gaps in the peripheral portion with a filler. Furthermore, a second transmission image of the peripheral portion is also obtained after the filler is filled. Then, the first and second transmission images are compared to determine the filling state of the filler. Therefore, the present invention provides a substrate processing method and apparatus capable of improving yield. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a top view showing the schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the substrate processing unit and the inspection unit in the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the hardware structure of the control unit in the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the control unit in the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a flowchart for explaining the substrate processing method of the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the case where infrared light is irradiated onto the periphery of the laminated substrate in the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the case where filler is filled into the gaps at the periphery of the laminated substrate in the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the case where infrared light is irradiated onto the periphery of a laminated substrate filled with filler in the first embodiment.

[0025] Figure 9 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the case where the filler at the periphery of the laminated substrate is cured by heating in the first embodiment.

[0026] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the control unit in the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

[0027] Figure 11 This is a flowchart for explaining the substrate processing method of the second embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0028] (First Implementation)

[0029] Hereinafter, the substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] In addition, in this specification, "substrate" refers to various substrates such as semiconductor substrates, photomask glass substrates, liquid crystal display glass substrates, plasma display glass substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disc substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and optical disc substrates. Furthermore, in this specification, "layered substrate" refers to a substrate formed by bonding multiple such substrates together.

[0031] [Substrate Processing Apparatus]

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes: a substrate processing unit 110 for performing various processes on the laminated substrate Ws, a sorting unit 120, and a control unit 130 for controlling the substrate processing apparatus 100. The substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is a monolithic substrate processing apparatus for various substrate processing applications. Furthermore, Figure 1 This is a top view showing the schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment.

[0033] <Indexer Section>

[0034] The indexing unit 120 has the function of supplying or retrieving stacked substrates Ws from the substrate processing unit 110. Specifically, the indexing unit 120 has four container holding units 121, and each container holding unit 121 is provided with a container C. Examples of containers C include FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) box, and OC (Open Cassette), which contain multiple stacked substrates Ws in a sealed state. In this embodiment, the case with four container holding units 121 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Multiple container holding units 121 are also acceptable.

[0035] Additionally, the indexing unit 120 also has a first transport unit 122 for transporting the laminated substrates Ws. The first transport unit 122 is disposed between the container holding unit 121 and the substrate processing unit 110. The first transport unit 122 has: a base portion 122a, which is fixed to the device housing; a multi-joint arm 122b, which is configured to rotate about a vertical axis relative to the base portion 122a; and a robot arm 122c, which is mounted on the front end of the multi-joint arm 122b. The robot arm 122c is configured to place and hold the laminated substrates Ws on its upper surface. The first transport unit 122 can access the container C held in the container holding unit 121, remove the unprocessed laminated substrates Ws from the container C, or store the processed laminated substrates Ws in the container C. The first transport unit 122 is also referred to as an indexing robot.

[0036] <Substrate Processing Department>

[0037] The substrate processing unit 110 performs substrate processing, such as filling the gaps of the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws with filler, and observing the filling state of the filler in the periphery. The substrate processing unit 110 includes: a second conveying unit 111, which is disposed approximately in the center when viewed from above; four substrate processing units 1, which are arranged to surround the second conveying unit 111; and an inspection unit 2, which inspects the filling state of the filler in the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws. Further details regarding the substrate processing units 1 and the inspection unit 2 will be described later.

[0038] As the second transport unit 111, a substrate transport robot can be used, for example. The second transport unit 111 randomly visits each substrate processing unit 1 and transfers the laminated substrates Ws. The substrate processing unit 110 has multiple substrate processing units 1 and inspection units 2, thereby enabling parallel processing of multiple laminated substrates Ws. In addition, the second transport unit 111 can also be referred to as a central robot. Alternatively, a loading section (path) for temporarily loading the laminated substrates Ws can be provided between the first transport unit 122 and the second transport unit 111.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the substrate processing unit 1 is an apparatus for filling the gaps in the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws with filler. The substrate processing unit 1 includes a substrate holding portion 11 for holding the laminated substrate Ws, a filling portion 12, and a curing portion 13. Furthermore, Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the substrate processing unit 1 and the inspection unit 2 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment. In this diagram, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes are appropriately shown to clarify the directional relationships illustrated. The XY plane represents the horizontal plane, and the +Z direction represents the vertical upward direction.

[0040] The substrate holding section 11 is a unit that holds the laminated substrate Ws, such as... Figure 2 As shown, with the surface Wf (surface of the first substrate W1) of the laminated substrate Ws facing upwards, the laminated substrate Ws is held in a generally horizontal position and rotated. The substrate holding part 11 has a rotating chuck 11c integrally formed with a rotating support shaft 11a and a rotating base 11b. The rotating base 11b has a generally circular shape when viewed from above, and a hollow rotating support shaft 11a extending in a generally vertical direction is fixed to its center. Furthermore, the rotating base 11b is connected to a suction system (not shown) and is configured to hold the central portion of the back surface Wb (surface of the second substrate W2) of the laminated substrate Ws. The rotating support shaft 11a is connected to the rotating shaft of a chuck rotation mechanism 11d containing a motor. Furthermore, examples of suction systems include suction devices, vacuum jets, etc.

[0041] The chuck rotation mechanism 11d can rotate the rotating support shaft 11a around the rotation axis A by being driven by the chuck drive unit (not shown) from the control unit 130. As a result, the rotating base 11b, mounted on the upper end of the rotating support shaft 11a, rotates around the rotation axis A at a constant speed. When the rotating base 11b rotates, the laminated substrate Ws held thereby also rotates together with the rotating base 11b around a rotation axis that is substantially perpendicular to the surface Wf of the laminated substrate Ws, i.e., around the rotation axis A. Furthermore, the control unit 130 can adjust the rotation speed of the rotating base 11b by controlling the chuck rotation mechanism 11d via the chuck drive unit.

[0042] The filling section 12 has the function of dispensing filler and is disposed radially outside the laminated substrate Ws on which the substrate holding section 11 is placed. The filling section 12 includes, for example, a dispenser 12a and a dispenser moving mechanism 12b. The dispenser 12a is not particularly limited; examples include piezoelectric dispensers, syringe dispensers, volumetric dispensers, tubular dispensers, and plunger dispensers. The dispenser 12a is electrically connected to the control section 130, and the control section 130 issues an operation command to the dispenser 12a to dispense the filler. Furthermore, the dispenser 12a is configured to dispense filler into the gaps at the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws. The dispenser 12a includes a container for storing filler and a valve for controlling the dispensing of filler. The dispenser moving mechanism 12b causes the dispenser 12a to move, for example, horizontally and / or vertically. Therefore, the distance between the laminated substrate Ws and the dispenser 12a can be adjusted, allowing filler to be sprayed into the gap between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 at the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws. The dispenser moving mechanism 12b is electrically connected to the control unit 130, and the control unit 130 sends an operation command to the dispenser moving mechanism 12b, thereby moving the dispenser 12a. Alternatively, the dispenser moving mechanism 12b may also be a structure with a motor capable of rotating around an axis. Furthermore, as the filler, for example, a filler containing a thermosetting resin can be used. Alternatively, a filler containing a UV-curable resin can also be used.

[0043] The curing section 13 heat-cures the filler filling the gap between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2. The curing section 13 is arranged in pairs above the first substrate W1 and below the second substrate W2 at the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws placed on the substrate holding section 11. Furthermore, the curing section 13 is arranged at a predetermined distance from the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 without contacting them. Examples of curing sections 13 include air heaters and lamp heaters capable of blowing hot air. Using these heaters, the curing section 13 can heat the laminated substrate Ws in a non-contact state, thus enabling heat curing of the laminated substrate Ws while it rotates around the rotation axis A.

[0044] Furthermore, the curing section 13 can be disposed either above the first substrate W1 or below the second substrate W2. Even with such a structure, thermal curing of the filler filling the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws can be achieved. Additionally, the curing section 13 can be a heating plate in addition to the aforementioned air heater, lamp heater, etc. In this case, the laminated substrate Ws is released from the substrate holding section 11, the second conveying section 111 removes the laminated substrate Ws and places it on the heating plate, thereby thermally curing the filled filler. Furthermore, when using a UV-curable resin as the filler, a UV irradiation device can also be used as the curing section 13. In this case, the UV irradiation device is configured to irradiate the gaps at the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws with UV light.

[0045] Inspection unit 2 is a unit that acquires a first transmission image before the filler is applied to the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws and a second transmission image after the filler has been applied (hereinafter, the first and second transmission images are sometimes simply referred to as "transmission images") to inspect its filling state. The transmission image is an image obtained based on the transmitted light that has passed through the laminated substrate Ws. Furthermore, it is preferable that the transmission image is a top-view image of the laminated substrate Ws. Figure 2 As shown, the inspection unit 2 has a transmission image acquisition unit 21 for acquiring a transmission image of the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws, and the transmission image acquisition unit 21 also has an illumination unit 22 and an imaging unit 23.

[0046] The irradiation unit 22 is disposed at the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws and at a predetermined distance below the second substrate W2. The irradiation unit 22 irradiates the second substrate W2 from a direction substantially perpendicular to its surface. Examples of irradiation units 22 include point light sources, line light sources, and surface light sources; however, considering the irradiation area, a surface light source is preferred in this embodiment. The light irradiated by the irradiation unit 22 is light in the wavelength range capable of penetrating the laminated substrate Ws. Specifically, infrared light in the wavelength range of 1000 nm to 2500 nm is an example of light capable of penetrating the laminated substrate Ws. Furthermore, it is preferable that the light irradiated by the irradiation unit 22 does not penetrate the filler filled in the periphery. Therefore, the filling state of the filler can be clearly determined in the transmitted image obtained by the imaging unit 23. The irradiation unit 22 is electrically connected to the control unit 130, and the control unit 130 issues operation commands to the irradiation unit 22 to perform light irradiation.

[0047] The imaging unit 23 detects, for example, infrared light or other light that is irradiated from the irradiation unit 22 and transmitted through the stacked substrate Ws, and generates an image signal. The imaging unit 23 is disposed at the periphery of the stacked substrate Ws and at a predetermined distance above the first substrate W1. Furthermore, the imaging unit 23 is disposed opposite the irradiation unit 22 across the stacked substrate Ws. Specifically, the imaging unit 23 includes, for example, a shutter, an imaging element capable of detecting the light, an A / D converter, and a D / A converter (all not shown). Examples of imaging elements include CCD image sensors and CMOS image sensors. The A / D converter converts the image signal (analog value) output from the imaging element into digital values, generating multi-valued image data related to the transmitted image. The D / A converter converts the multi-valued image data into analog values, thereby enabling display on a user interface display (not shown). Furthermore, the imaging unit 23 only needs to be able to generate image data. Therefore, the imaging unit 23 is not limited to the structure of this embodiment.

[0048] <Control Department>

[0049] The control unit 130 is electrically connected to each part of the board processing apparatus 100 and controls the operation of each part. The control unit 130 is composed of a computer having an arithmetic processing unit and a memory (see reference). Figure 3 As a processing unit, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 130a is used to perform various arithmetic operations. Alternatively, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) can also be used as a processing unit. The memory includes: ROM (Read Only Memory) 130b, which is dedicated to reading programs from the substrate; RAM (Random Access Memory) 130c, which is a freely readable and writable memory storing various information; and a storage device 130d such as a disk, which stores control software, data, etc. The CPU 130a reads the program into RAM 130c and uses RAM 130c as a work area for execution. Furthermore, Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the hardware structure of the control unit 130.

[0050] In addition, such as Figure 4 As shown, the control unit 130 has at least the following functional concepts: indexer control unit 155, substrate processing control unit 156, transmission image processing unit 157, determination unit 158, and storage unit 159. Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the control unit 130.

[0051] The indexer control unit 155 controls the first transport unit 122, for example, according to an operation program stored in the storage unit 159. The operation program of the first transport unit 122 includes commands with a time sequence defined by at least one control parameter. Specific examples of the at least one control parameter include the transport target position of the laminated substrate Ws and the transport speed to that target position.

[0052] The substrate processing control unit 156 controls the second transport unit 111 according to an operation program stored in the storage unit 159. The operation program of the second transport unit 111 includes commands with a time sequence defined by at least one control parameter. Specific examples of the at least one control parameter include the transport target position of the laminated substrate Ws and the transport speed to that target position. Furthermore, the substrate processing control unit 156 controls the substrate holding unit 11, the filling unit 12, and the curing unit 13 of the substrate processing unit 1 according to the operation program stored in the storage unit 159. Examples of control parameters included in the operation program of the substrate processing unit 1 include the rotation speed of the laminated substrate (rotating base 11b), the filling amount of filler, the placement position of the dispenser 12a, and curing conditions such as heating time and heating temperature. When an ultraviolet irradiation device is used in the curing unit 13, irradiation conditions such as ultraviolet irradiation time and irradiation intensity are also included. Furthermore, the substrate processing control unit 156 also controls the irradiation unit 22 and the imaging unit 23 of the inspection unit 2 according to the operation program stored in the storage unit 159. As control parameters included in the action program of inspection unit 2, examples include irradiation conditions such as infrared light irradiation time and intensity.

[0053] The transmission image processing unit 157 stores the image data of the transmission image generated by the A / D converter of the imaging unit 23 in the storage unit 159. Alternatively, the transmission image processing unit 157 can also retrieve this image data from the storage unit 159 and perform binarization processing to generate binarized image data. In this case, the transmission image processing unit 157 also stores the generated binarized image data in the storage unit 159. Specifically, the binarization processing, for example, determines whether the grayscale value of each pixel exceeds a predetermined threshold; if it is below a threshold, it is converted to black; if it exceeds a threshold, it is converted to white. By implementing binarization processing, noise and other noise can be removed, making it easier to determine the filling state of the filler.

[0054] The determination unit 158 ​​determines whether the filler filling status is good. More specifically, after retrieving the binarized image data of the first transmission image and the binarized image data of the second transmission image from the storage unit 159, the determination unit 158 ​​compares the two to determine whether the filler filling status is good. Here, the comparison is performed by overlapping the binarized image data of the first transmission image and the binarized image data of the second transmission image, and comparing the pixels of the binarized image data of the first transmission image with the pixels of the binarized image data of the second transmission image. In addition, whether the filling status is good can be determined, for example, by comparing the binarized image data of the second transmission image with the binarized image data of the first transmission image, based on criteria such as whether there are areas where the filler has not been embedded.

[0055] As described above, the storage unit 159 stores the operation programs for controlling the indexing unit 120 and the substrate processing unit 110, including the substrate processing unit 1 and the inspection unit 2. Additionally, the storage unit 159 stores inspection conditions including irradiation conditions of the irradiation unit 22, substrate processing condition information (processing steps) including filler filling conditions and curing conditions, and control condition information for controlling the substrate processing apparatus 100. Furthermore, the storage unit 159 also stores various data such as the identifier of the laminated substrate Ws, image data generated by the imaging unit 23, binarized image data generated by the transmission image processing unit 157, and marker data related to whether the filler filling state is good.

[0056] [Substrate Processing Method]

[0057] Next, the substrate processing method using the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described. In this embodiment, the substrate processing method acquires transmission images of the periphery before and after filling the periphery with filler, and compares these images to determine the filling state. Therefore, in this embodiment, the substrate processing method can prevent subsequent processes such as thinning and trimming from being performed on the laminated substrate Ws with poor filler filling. As a result, it is possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of end breakage, defects, or substrate peeling of the laminated substrate Ws, thereby improving the yield.

[0058] <Laminated substrate handling process S1>

[0059] like Figure 5As shown, firstly, the operator instructs the execution of a substrate processing procedure corresponding to a specified laminated substrate Ws. The unprocessed laminated substrate Ws, housed in a sealed state within the container C of the indexing unit 120, is transferred into the substrate processing unit 1 via the first transport unit 122 and the second transport unit 111. Furthermore, when placed on the rotating base 11b, the laminated substrate Ws is held on the rotating base 11b by a suction system (not shown). The unprocessed laminated substrate Ws is held in a substantially horizontal position by the substrate holding unit 11. In addition, Figure 5 This is a flowchart used to explain the substrate processing method of this embodiment.

[0060] <First Transmission Image Acquisition Step S2>

[0061] Next, a first transmission image of the peripheral portion of the laminated substrate Ws is obtained. That is, according to the operation command of the control unit 130, the chuck rotation mechanism 11d is controlled via the chuck drive unit to rotate the laminated substrate Ws held on the rotating base 11b. Furthermore, as... Figure 6 As shown, the irradiation unit 22 is positioned directly below the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws, and the imaging unit 23 is positioned opposite to it across the laminated substrate Ws. Figure 6 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the irradiation of infrared light onto the peripheral portion P of the laminated substrate Ws. Furthermore, according to the operation command of the control unit 130, infrared light is irradiated from below onto the peripheral portion P of the rotating laminated substrate Ws. Here, the peripheral portion P refers to a predetermined range inward from the outer periphery (end) of the outline forming the laminated substrate Ws. Specifically, as... Figure 6 As shown, in addition to the beveled portions at the ends of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, and the gap G formed by the beveled portions of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, it also includes an inner region I extending at a predetermined distance (e.g., less than 2 mm) from the outer periphery toward the center of the stacked substrate Ws.

[0062] The infrared light irradiation from the irradiation unit 22 is controlled by the control unit 130 so that the irradiation direction is approximately perpendicular to the surface Wf of the laminated substrate Ws. By making the irradiation direction approximately perpendicular to the surface Wf of the laminated substrate Ws, it is possible to image the internal region I of the laminated substrate Ws. In addition, irradiation conditions such as irradiation time and irradiation intensity are not particularly limited and can be set appropriately as needed.

[0063] When infrared light is irradiated by the irradiation unit 22, the transmitted light from the peripheral portion P of the transmissive laminated substrate Ws is received by the imaging unit 23. The received transmitted light is output as an analog image signal in the imaging element. Furthermore, the analog image signal is converted into a digital value in the A / D converter to generate multi-valued image data. The multi-valued image data is then stored in the storage unit 159 by the transmission image processing unit 157. In addition, the transmission image processing unit 157 retrieves the image data from the storage unit 159 and performs binarization processing to generate binarized image data (first transmission image).

[0064] Furthermore, the imaging area (measurement point) used to obtain the first transmission image can be one location or two or more locations. Additionally, when there are multiple imaging areas, the first transmission image of the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws can be obtained at a predetermined measurement point during one rotation of the laminated substrate Ws. For example, after positioning the laminated substrate Ws at a predetermined position, it is rotated by a first rotation angle to obtain a first transmission image, and then rotated again by a second rotation angle to obtain a second first transmission image. By sequentially obtaining first transmission images at predetermined rotation angles, it is possible to obtain first transmission images corresponding to the rotation angle of the laminated substrate Ws. For example, 100 to 150 first transmission images can be obtained.

[0065] <Filling Process S3>

[0066] Next, filler is filled into the gap G at the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws. Specifically, the control unit 130 issues an operation command to the dispenser moving mechanism 12b, causing the dispenser 12a to move horizontally and / or vertically, configuring it so that filler can be sprayed towards the gap G at the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws. Then, according to the operation command of the control unit 130, the chuck rotation mechanism 11d is controlled via the chuck drive unit to rotate the laminated substrate Ws, which is held and held on the rotating base 11b. Furthermore, while the laminated substrate Ws is rotated, according to the operation command of the control unit 130, the dispenser 12a of the filling unit 12 continuously sprays liquid filler towards the gap G (see reference). Figure 7 Therefore, filler is applied to the gap G along the entire periphery of the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws. Furthermore, Figure 7 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the situation where filler is filled into the gap G of the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws.

[0067] <Semi-curing process S4>

[0068] Next, the filler filling the gaps G of the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws is semi-cured. That is, while the laminated substrate Ws is rotated by the substrate holding part 11, the control part 130 issues an operation command to the curing part 13, heating it from above the first substrate W1 and below the second substrate W2. This allows the filler filling the gaps G to be semi-cured throughout the entire periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws. Furthermore, semi-curing here refers to a state where the viscosity of the filler has increased and it is not completely cured. The heating conditions, such as heating time and heating temperature, used for semi-curing the filler are appropriately set according to the type and amount of filler. Furthermore, when using a UV-curable resin as the filler, UV light is irradiated towards the gaps G of the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws using a UV irradiation device that serves as the curing part 13, thereby semi-curing the filler. In this case, the irradiation time, light intensity, and other irradiation conditions are appropriately set according to the type and amount of filler.

[0069] <Second Transmission Image Acquisition Process S5>

[0070] Next, similar to the first transmission image acquisition step S2, a second transmission image of the periphery of the laminated substrate Ws filled with filler is acquired. That is, the chuck rotation mechanism 11d is controlled to rotate the laminated substrate Ws according to the operation command of the control unit 130. Furthermore, the irradiation unit 22 is positioned directly below the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws, and the imaging unit 23 is positioned opposite it across the laminated substrate Ws. Next, the control unit 130 controls the irradiation unit 22, as follows: Figure 8 As shown, infrared light is irradiated from the lower side of the second substrate W2 toward the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws. Figure 8 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the situation where infrared light is irradiated onto the peripheral portion P of a laminated substrate Ws filled with filler. When infrared light is irradiated by the irradiation unit 22, the transmitted light passing through the peripheral portion P of the laminated substrate Ws is received in the imaging unit 23. Similar to the first transmission image acquisition process S2, the received transmitted light is output as an analog image signal in the imaging element, converted into a digital value in the A / D converter, and multi-valued image data is generated. Furthermore, the multi-valued image data is stored in the storage unit 159 by the transmission image processing unit 157. Additionally, the transmission image processing unit 157 retrieves the image data from the storage unit 159 and performs binarization processing to generate binarized image data (the second transmission image). Here, the semi-cured filler filling the peripheral portion P does not transmit infrared light. Therefore, the filling state of the filler in the peripheral portion P can be confirmed in the second transmission image. Furthermore, irradiation conditions such as irradiation time and irradiation intensity are appropriately set as needed.

[0071] Furthermore, it is preferable that the imaging area (measurement point) for obtaining the second transmission image is the same as the imaging area (measurement point) in the first transmission image acquisition step S2. When there are multiple imaging areas, similar to the first transmission image acquisition step S2, the second transmission image of the periphery P of the stacked substrate Ws can be obtained at a predetermined measurement point during one revolution of the stacked substrate Ws. That is, for example, after positioning the stacked substrate Ws at a predetermined position, it is rotated by a first rotation angle to obtain a first second transmission image, and then rotated again to obtain a second second transmission image by a second rotation angle. By sequentially obtaining second transmission images at predetermined rotation angles in this way, second transmission images corresponding to the rotation angle of the stacked substrate Ws can be obtained. For example, 100 to 150 second transmission images can be obtained.

[0072] <Judgment Process S6>

[0073] This process determines whether the filler filling state is good. That is, after the determination unit 158 ​​retrieves the binarized image data of the first transmission image and the binarized image data of the second transmission image from the storage unit 159, it compares the two to determine whether the filler filling state is good. Here, the imaging area in the first transmission image acquisition process S2 and the second transmission image acquisition process S5 includes, in addition to the gap G formed by the inclined surfaces of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, an inner region I extending a predetermined distance from the outer periphery toward the center of the stacked substrate Ws. Therefore, the determination of whether the filling state is good can be performed not only by the gap G but also by including the inner region I. As a result, compared with conventional substrate processing methods, it is possible to effectively prevent cracking, defects, and peeling of the first substrate W1 or the second substrate W2 at the ends of the stacked substrate Ws in subsequent processes, thereby improving the yield. Furthermore, the comparison between the binarized image data of the first transmission image and the binarized image data of the second transmission image can be performed between images captured in the same imaging area (e.g., at positions where the stacked substrate Ws are at the same rotation angle).

[0074] If the filler is determined to be in good condition during this process, the curing process S7 (described later) is performed. On the other hand, if the filler is determined to be in poor condition, the filling process S3, the semi-curing process S4, and the second transmission image acquisition process S5 are performed again.

[0075] <Curing Process S7>

[0076] In this process, for the laminated substrate Ws that is determined to be in a good filling state, the filler filling the gaps G at its periphery P is completely cured. That is, according to the operation command of the control unit 130, the chuck rotation mechanism 11d is controlled by the chuck drive unit to rotate the laminated substrate Ws held on the rotating base 11b. While the laminated substrate Ws is rotating, the control unit 130 issues an operation command to the curing unit 13, heating it from above the first substrate W1 and below the second substrate W2. As a result, the filler filling the gaps G can be completely cured throughout the entire periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws (see reference). Figure 9 ). Figure 9 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the curing of the filler at the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws by heating. The heating conditions, such as heating time and temperature, for complete curing of the filler are appropriately set according to the type and amount of filler. By ensuring that the heating time and temperature are not insufficient, the filler can be fully cured, preventing poor adhesion and reduced mechanical strength. Furthermore, by ensuring that the heating time and temperature are not excessive, a decrease in productivity can be suppressed. In addition, when using a UV-curable resin as the filler, UV light is irradiated towards the gap G at the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws using a UV irradiation device serving as the curing section 13, thereby achieving complete curing of the filler. In this case, the irradiation time, light intensity, and other irradiation conditions are appropriately set according to the type and amount of filler.

[0077] <Cooling process S8>

[0078] This step involves cooling the filler that has been fully cured by heating in the curing step S7. There are no particular limitations on the cooling method; for example, a cooling plate (not shown) can be used. The cooling plate is, for example, positioned above the rotating base 11b and below the laminated substrate Ws. In this case, the laminated substrate Ws can also be held by a clamping member or the like. Furthermore, the cooling plate preferably has an upper surface opposite the second substrate W2 of the laminated substrate Ws, and does not rotate even when the chuck rotation mechanism 11d rotates. The cooling plate is electrically connected to the control unit 130 and cools the laminated substrate Ws according to the operation command of the control unit 130. The cooling plate can cool its upper surface uniformly, thereby uniformly cooling the laminated substrate Ws from the second substrate W2 side. Furthermore, by cooling the laminated substrate Ws, the filler that has been filled in the peripheral portion P and thermosetting can be cooled. Moreover, if an ultraviolet-curable resin is used as the filler, this step can be omitted.

[0079] <Laminated substrate removal process S9>

[0080] After the cooling process S8 is completed, the control unit 130 controls the dispenser moving mechanism 12b to position the dispenser 12a from the position where filler can be supplied to the retracted position. Then, the second conveying unit 111 enters the internal space of the substrate processing unit 1 and moves the processed laminated substrate Ws, which has been released from the adsorption and holding of the rotating base 11b, out of the substrate processing unit 1, thus ending a series of substrate processing steps.

[0081] As described above, in this embodiment, a first transmission image of the peripheral portion P is obtained before filling the gap G of the periphery P of the laminated substrate Ws with filler, and a second transmission image of the peripheral portion P after filling with filler is obtained. Furthermore, the first and second transmission images are compared to determine whether the filler filling state is good. If the filler is determined to be defective, the filler is refilled. Therefore, in this embodiment, in subsequent processes such as the thinning process of the laminated substrate Ws and the end trimming process of the laminated substrate Ws, cracking, defects, and substrate peeling at the ends of the laminated substrate Ws are prevented, thereby improving the yield.

[0082] (Second Implementation)

[0083] The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0084] [Substrate Processing Apparatus]

[0085] <Overall structure of the substrate processing device and substrate processing unit>

[0086] The substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment, except for the control unit, has a structure that is substantially the same as that of the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment (see reference). Figure 1 Therefore, the detailed descriptions of the substrate processing unit 110 and the indexing unit 120 are marked with the same reference numerals and are omitted.

[0087] <Control Department>

[0088] The control unit 130' of this embodiment has the same hardware structure as the control unit 130 of the first embodiment. However, as Figure 10 As shown, the main difference in the functional concept of the control unit 130' is that it also has a marking unit 160. Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the control unit 130' in this embodiment.

[0089] The marking unit 160 performs marking processing on the laminated substrates Ws. Specifically, the marking unit 160 associates the marking data with the identifier of the laminated substrate Ws that is determined to have poor filler filling in the determination unit 158, and stores it in the storage unit 159. Alternatively, the marking processing of the marking unit 160 can also be performed on laminated substrates Ws that are determined to have good filling. In this case, other marking data is associated with the identifier of the laminated substrate Ws that is determined to have good filling, and stored in the storage unit 159.

[0090] [Substrate Processing Method]

[0091] Next, the substrate processing method of this embodiment will be described below. In the substrate processing method of this embodiment, laminated substrates Ws that are determined by the determination unit 158 ​​to have poor filler filling state are marked and discarded. Therefore, in the substrate processing method of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent laminated substrates Ws with poor filler filling state from being subjected to subsequent processes such as thinning process and trimming process.

[0092] In the substrate processing method of this embodiment, such as Figure 11 As shown, the difference lies in that, in the marking process S10, the laminated substrates Ws that were determined to have poor filler filling in the judgment process S6 are marked. Furthermore, the difference is that the defective laminated substrates Ws are not refilled with filler. In addition, Figure 11 This is a flowchart used to explain the substrate processing method of this embodiment.

[0093] The substrate processing method of this embodiment includes: a laminated substrate loading process S1, a first transmission image acquisition process S2, a filling process S3, a semi-curing process S4, a second transmission image acquisition process S5, a judgment process S6, a marking process S10, a curing process S7, a cooling process S8, and a laminated substrate unloading process S9 (see reference). Figure 11 Furthermore, the processes other than the marking process S10 are the same as in the first embodiment, therefore, only this process will be described below.

[0094] <Marking process S10>

[0095] This process marks and labels the laminated substrates Ws that are determined to have poor filler filling in the judgment process S6. Specifically, the marking unit 160 maps the defective marking data to the identifier of the laminated substrate Ws determined to be defective by the judgment unit 158 ​​and stores it in the storage unit 159. Furthermore, the control unit 130' only performs filler curing processing in the curing process S7 on laminated substrates Ws whose identifiers do not correspond to the marking data. On the other hand, the control unit 130' does not perform the curing process S7 on laminated substrates Ws with identifiers corresponding to the marking data, but instead sends an operation command to the second transport unit 111 to remove them from the substrate processing unit 1 (laminated substrate removal process S9). The removed defective laminated substrates Ws are subsequently discarded.

[0096] As described above, in this embodiment, laminated substrates Ws that are determined to have poor filler filling are marked, and subsequent processes such as thinning and trimming of the ends of the laminated substrates Ws are not performed. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is also possible to prevent breakage, defects, and substrate peeling at the ends of the laminated substrates Ws in subsequent processes, thereby improving the yield.

[0097] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the example described is that only the laminated substrates Ws that are determined to have poor filling conditions of the filler are marked. However, it is also possible to mark the laminated substrates Ws that are determined to have good filling conditions of the filler.

[0098] (Other matters)

[0099] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical concept substantially the same as that described in the claims of the present invention.

[0100] For example, in the first and second embodiments, the present invention has been described using a method for determining whether the filling state is good by comparing the pixels of the binarized image data of the first transmission image and the binarized image data of the second transmission image as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, the filling state of the filler can also be determined based on the rate of change of brightness calculated from the brightness of the pixels of the first transmission image and the brightness of the pixels of the second transmission image. By aligning the first transmission image and the second transmission image, the rate of change of pixel brightness can be obtained. In this case, the rate of change of brightness can also be compared with a predetermined threshold, and if the rate of change exceeds the threshold, the filling state is determined to be good. Alternatively, the second transmission image can be obtained before the semi-curing process to determine the filling state.

[0101] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, an example is given of a laminated substrate Ws that has been marked as having poor filler filling and is subsequently removed from the substrate processing unit 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. Alternatively, for the marked laminated substrate Ws, the filling process S3, the semi-curing process S4, the second transmission image acquisition process S5, and the determination process S6 may be performed sequentially and repeatedly, as in the substrate processing method of the first embodiment, and the filler may be refilled.

[0102] Furthermore, for example, in this invention, in addition to the infrared observation method-based structure described in the first and second embodiments, a structure based on the phase difference observation method can also be used as the inspection unit. When the inspection unit employs the phase difference observation method, a structure that provides an annular aperture on the irradiation side and a phase difference plate on the imaging side can be cited as an example.

Claims

1. A substrate processing method, comprising filling the gaps in the periphery of a stacked substrate comprising multiple substrates with a filler, characterized in that, The substrate processing method includes: The first transmission image acquisition process acquires a first transmission image of the periphery of the laminated substrate; The filling process involves filling the gaps at the periphery of the laminated substrate after the first transmission image has been obtained with the filler. The second transmission image acquisition process involves acquiring a second transmission image of the peripheral portion after it has been filled with the filler. The determination process involves comparing the first transmission image and the second transmission image to determine the filling state of the filler.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first transmission image acquisition process and the second transmission image acquisition process are as follows: light of a wavelength capable of transmitting through the laminated substrate is irradiated from a direction approximately perpendicular to the surface of the laminated substrate to the periphery of the laminated substrate, and the light transmitted through the periphery of the laminated substrate is received to obtain the first transmission image or the second transmission image when viewed from above.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The laminated substrate is rotated around a rotation axis, and at a predetermined rotation angle, a transmission image of a pre-set imaging area in the periphery of the laminated substrate is obtained sequentially to acquire the first transmission image and the second transmission image.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate processing method includes a semi-curing step, in which the filler filling the gaps in the periphery of the laminated substrate is semi-cured after the filling step and before the second transmission image acquisition step.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 4, characterized in that, If the filling state of the filler is determined to be poor in the determination process, the filling process, the semi-curing process, the second transmission image acquisition process, and the determination process are repeated in sequence.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The substrate processing method includes a curing step, wherein if the filling state of the filler is determined to be good in the determination step, the filler is cured.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate processing method includes a marking step, which marks the laminated substrates that are determined to have poor filling status of the filler in the determination step.

8. A substrate processing apparatus for performing the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, have: A substrate holding portion that holds the stacked substrate; The transmission image acquisition unit acquires a transmission image of the periphery of the laminated substrate; A filling portion, which fills the gaps in the periphery of the laminated substrate with the filler; Control Department The transmission image acquisition unit acquires a first transmission image before the filler is filled into the gap by the filling unit and a second transmission image after the filler is filled. The control unit compares the first transmission image and the second transmission image to determine the filling state of the filler.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The transmission image acquisition unit has: An irradiation section irradiates light of a wavelength capable of transmitting through the stacked substrate from a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the stacked substrate toward the periphery of the stacked substrate. The imaging unit receives light transmitted through the periphery of the stacked substrate and captures the first or second transmitted image when viewed from above.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The rotating chuck causes the laminated substrate to rotate about the rotation axis. The light source illuminates a pre-defined imaging area on the periphery of the rotating laminated substrate at a predetermined rotation angle. The imaging element sequentially acquires the first and second transmissive images of the imaging area at a predetermined rotation angle.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The substrate processing apparatus includes a curing section that semi-cures or cures the filler filling the gaps in the periphery of the laminated substrate.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The control unit marks and labels the laminated substrates whose filler filling status is determined to be defective.

Images